2

In the following comic that showed up on my facebook feed, the child says

J'en veux plus!

which I thought meant "I want more of it!". But as I continued to read the rest of the comic, I realized that it must have meant "I don't want more of it!"

J'en veux plus comic

Questions:

1) If "J'en veux plus" means "I don't want more of it!", then how do I say "I want more of it!"?

2) What are the rules for when I'm allowed to delete the "ne" in "ne .. pas"?

1 Answer 1

4

1) If "J'en veux plus" means "I don't want more of it!", then how do I say "I want more of it!"?

As Luke commented, je n'en veux plus/j'en veux plus is better translated to "I don't wan't it anymore". Your sentence would be je n'en veux pas plus.

"I want more of it" translation can be written exactly the same way: j'en veux plus, but is pronounced differently. The final s of plus is sounded. See When does one pronounce the 's' in plus?

Alternatively, you might say j'en voudrais davantage or j'en veux encore.

2) What are the rules for when I'm allowed to delete the "ne" in "ne .. pas"?

You can drop it in non-formal spoken French.

4
  • Rather than make another answer, I suggest adding: (a) It doesn't mean "I don't want more of it" but "I don't want it anymore." (b) Other ways to say "I want more of it."
    – Luke Sawczak
    Commented Mar 29, 2018 at 1:33
  • To make sure I understand you: if I only showed you the first panel of the comic, is it true that it is completely ambiguous which is being said?
    – silph
    Commented Mar 29, 2018 at 1:55
  • 2
    It is unambiguous because of the mother's reply.
    – jlliagre
    Commented Mar 29, 2018 at 2:01
  • 1
    @jlliagre Unless of course the toddler reasons like the Mad Hatter: "You can always have more than nothing!" ;) Kidding, of course...
    – Luke Sawczak
    Commented Mar 29, 2018 at 12:34

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.